Mask-associated 'de novo' headache in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed care activities of health professionals. We analysed the possible association between the appearance of 'de novo' headache according to the type of mask used, the related factors and the impact of the cephalalgia on health professionals. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in Extremadura, Spain. We provided an online questionnaire to healthcare workers during the period of maximum incidence of COVID-19 in our setting. RESULTS: The subjects are n=306, 244 women (79.7%), with an average age of 43 years (range 23-65). Of the total, 129 (42.2%) were physicians, 112 (36.6%) nurses and 65 (21.2%) other health workers. 208 (79.7%) used surgical masks and 53 (20.3%) used filter masks. Of all those surveyed, 158 (51.6%) presented 'de novo' headache. The occurrence of a headache was independently associated with the use of a filter mask, OR 2.14 (95% CI 1.07 to 4.32); being a nurse, OR 2.09 (95% CI 1.18 to 3.72) or another health worker, OR 6.94 (95% CI 3.01 to 16.04); or having a history of asthma, OR 0.29 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.89). According to the type of mask used, there were differences in headache intensity, and the impact of a headache in the subjects who used a filter mask was worse in all the aspects evaluated. CONCLUSION: The appearance of 'de novo' headache is associated with the use of filter masks and is more frequent in certain healthcare workers, causing a greater occupational, family, personal and social impact.

Dose deviations induced by respiratory motion for radiotherapy of lung tumors: Impact of CT reconstruction, plan complexity, and fraction size.

A thorax phantom was used to assess radiotherapy dose deviations induced by respiratory motion of the target volume. Both intensity modulated and static, non-modulated treatment plans were planned on CT scans of the phantom. The plans were optimized using various CT reconstructions, to investigate whether they had an impact on robustness to target motion during delivery. During irradiation, the target was programmed to simulate respiration-induced motion of a lung tumor, using both patient-specific and sinusoidal motion patterns in three dimensions. Dose was measured in the center of the target using an ion chamber. Differences between reference measurements with a stationary target and dynamic measurements were assessed. Possible correlations between plan complexity metrics and measured dose deviations were investigated. The maximum observed motion-induced dose differences were 7.8% and 4.5% for single 2 Gy and 15 Gy fractions, respectively. The measurements performed with the largest target motion amplitude in the superior-inferior direction yielded the largest dosimetric deviations. For 2 Gy fractionation schemes, the summed dose deviation after 33 fractions is likely to be less than 2%. Measured motion-induced dose deviations were significantly larger for one CT reconstruction compared to all the others. Static, non-modulated plans showed superior robustness to target motion during delivery. Moderate correlations between the modulation complexity score applied to VMAT (MCSv) and measured dose deviations were found for 15 Gy SBRT treatment plans. Correlations between other plan complexity metrics and measured dose deviations were not found.

A novel ergot alkaloid as a 5-HT(1A) inhibitor produced by Dicyma sp.

In the course of a search for small-molecule inhibitors of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors we have identified a novel ergoline derivative (1) from the fungal culture of Dicyma sp. This compound has a pK(i) of 10.2 versus the 5-hydroxytryptamine(1A) receptor subtype. The structure was elucidated by extensive NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.